The pale pink device, which costs 150 euros (£110), is controlled by a phone app but does not use Bluetooth. Parents-to-be can share their babies’ listening experience using split headphones which hang out of the vagina.

The Babypod, which has a top sound level of 54 decibels, is recommended for use from the 16th week of pregnancy, and for between 10-20 minutes a time.

Babypod was launched at the “first concert for foetuses ever held in the world” in which Soraya Arnelas, who finished 23rd in the 2009 Eurovision song contest, “serenaded” 10 pregnant women fitted with the speakers, singing Christmas carols.

Babypod reassures customers that the vibrations of the device do not adversely affect a foetus – “this is why sex toys are allowed in pregnancy”.

So it plays music and vibrates inside your vagina. Seems like it would be hard to use during intercourse. Maybe it could provide musical accompaniment during oral sex? I feel like there’s are sexual opportunities here that I can’t quite think of. Leave your ideas in the comments.

Sexy Corte has written about egg vibrators previously, and they’re definitely our most-used sex toys. However, egg vibrators aren’t ideal for every situation! Sometimes the little egg just doesn’t give you enough to hold on to, and in those situations you need to have a wand vibrator handy. There are a lot of different brands, but really only three key features that we’ve come across:

Rechargable. Get a model with a built-in rechargeable battery. Plug-in vibrators never run out of power, but the cords just get in the way when you’re using them.

Variable power. Every model we’ve seen has a variable power setting, but make sure you don’t buy one without.

Standard size head. Check the size of the massaging head and make sure it matches the “standard” size of the Hitachi Magic Wand. Hitachi doesn’t even make the Magic Wand “massager” anymore, but all the vibrator accessories you’ll find will be sized to fit this classic sex toy.

Here are some tips for getting the most out of your wand vibrator.

Reach. A wand vibrator can be used in positions that don’t work with an egg, like doggy style. It’s hard for the husband to reach all the way around to keep an egg in place, but with a wand vibrator the wife can hold it in place herself. Any sort of rear penetration position can benefit from the enhanced reach of a wand vibrator.

Duration and diffusion. The head of a wand vibrator is a lot larger than an egg vibrator, which can be good or bad. It’s bad if the wife needs focused power on her clitoris to reach orgasm, because the wand vibrator may not be direct enough even if it’s powerful. However, for teasing games or bondage sessions that are intended to last a while, the larger vibration area of the wand head can be less intense and more pleasant.

Accessories. There are a ton of accessories for “standard” wand vibrators! Some of them look quite… alien… but there’s certainly no lack of variety to explore.

There are even accessories for husbands!

So even if you have an egg vibrator, a wand vibrator is a completely different toy and well worth picking up. If you’ve got any questions, tips, or recommendations please leave them in the comments!

In our bondage for beginners post we first mentioned the under-the-mattress restraint system and we got a few questions about it, so here’s some more information about why it’s great and how to use it. The banner photo doesn’t show how it’s installed, so here’s a diagram:

There are a few key features that will make such a system one of your most-used sex toys.

Easy to install. You have to lift your mattress and then shuffle the straps into place, but it’s once-and-done. After it’s installed, that’s pretty much it. Unlike many other restraints, you don’t need a headboard or bed posts.

Concealed. When you’re not using it, the cuffs can be tucked under the mattress and the system is invisible. You can show off your room to visitors or let your kids play without worrying that they’ll notice anything unusual.

Convenient. The system doesn’t need to be set up every time you play, and you don’t have to plan ahead. If the urge strikes you while you’re in the middle of the action, just reach under the mattress and grab a cuff.

Adaptable. The diagram shows the straps wrapping over the top and bottom edge of the mattress, but the system works equally well if you pull the straps over the sides. It just depends how you want to stretch and restrain your spouse: more length-wise or more spread-eagle.

Adjustable. The lengths of the straps can be easily adjusted to enable a variety of positions. Most systems come with removable cuffs as well.

Effective. It does exactly what you’d expect: holds wrists and ankles in place. If you want to hold knees open, make sure your cuffs are big enough.

So what positions you use the straps for? Here are a few ideas.

Spread-eagle is the most obvious position, either face-up or face-down. If the husband is restrained face-up the wife can easily have her way with him; if the wife is restrained, face-up is awesome for foreplay and teasing, and face-down is easier for sex.

Arms above head. For face-to-face sex with the wife restrained, it’s convenient to set her ankles free after foreplay but keep her arms above her head. This let’s her legs and hips get into a good position while still restricting her movement.

Arms out, legs up. The straps are easy to reposition, so with the wife in a face-up position you can pull her arms out straight and then lift her legs up. This position is always amazing for deep penetration, and adding the restraints puts the husband in complete control.

Doggy style. Almost the reverse of the position above. Put the wife on her knees and then pull her arms down between her legs and put her face on the mattress. Cuff her ankles and wrists. You can criss-cross the straps to hold her legs together — attach the left wrist to the right strap and the right wrist to the left strap.

Pillow under the hips. Pillows can be put under the restrained spouse’s hips, whether it’s the husband or wife, face-up or face-down. The pillow can can be used to improve access, penetration, and enable angles that are hard to do when laying flat.

With Fifty Shades of Grey everywhere you look (including Target, right next to the kids toothbrushes, ew!) there’s a lot of interest in bondage, and a lot of couples are experimenting with stuff they never would have thought of before. However, if you’re like me and have no intention of reading those books or watching the movies, you may be wondering what the big deal is — why would anyone want to be restrained during sex? Well, I know nothing about the BDSM “scene” so I can’t speak very broadly, but I can tell you in one word why Sexy Corte and I periodically enjoy adding some light bondage to our sexy time: vulnerability.

To understand bondage let’s talk first about the goal, then the methods, then why it’s fun. The goal is simple: voluntarily restrain one spouse to enhance his or her vulnerability and submission. It seems most common for the wife to be restrained, but I’ve had Sexy Corte tie me down and tease me and it was lots of fun. Usually though, it’s me restraining her. The purpose of the restraint is to give control of your body to your spouse, not to be painful or uncomfortable. Submitting to bondage is a huge demonstration of trust to your spouse because it puts your naked body into their control and makes you supremely vulnerable. The bondage benefits both the dominant and the submissive spouse by giving the dominant person permission to act, and the submissive person permission to let go. The various toys described below are only used to accent the submission that has already been agreed to.

There are limitless methods of bondage, but they generally share a few common features.

Nakedness. The submissive spouse will usually be restrained naked, or at least with her sexy bits exposed. Being naked with your spouse is already a big show of trust, and being restrained kicks it up a notch.

Hand restraint. Often the submissive’s hands are restrained to prevent her from “protecting” herself. (I use quotes, because of course nothing should be happening against the submissive’s desires.) Hands can be restrained above the head (for example, tied to the headboard), behind the back, in front (for front-to-back positions), or even attached to the ankles. Hand restraint is probably the most common element of light bondage. Get those hands out of the way!

Leg restraint. Legs, ankles, and knees can be restrained to keep the wife’s legs spread or to prevent movement in general. Leg restraint is an important element of position restraint and orgasm control.

Head restraint. Head or neck restraint could be uncomfortable or even dangerous. This isn’t something we do.

Eye restraint. Covering the submissive’s eyes can add another layer of trust and enhance vulnerability. Using a blindfold can really make extended foreplay exciting.

Mouth restraint. Sometimes you just want to hear your spouse moan with pleasure instead of talk. Sometimes talking is distracting. Taking away the option to talk can be liberating for the person who is restrained. Always be sure that anyone whose mouth is covered can breathe freely and can signal a desire to stop.

Position restraint. A combination of restraints can be used to hold the submissive spouse in a certain position, say for spanking. This can be critical for orgasm delay and multiple orgasms, which we’ll talk about below.

So what are the actual devices that can be used for bondage play? Almost anything you can imagine can be incorporated, but here are a few ideas. Each of these items probably deserves its own post!

Wedge pillows. Sexy Corte and I enjoy these a lot for positioning, and they include attachments for…

Hand cuffs. We use some padded strips with velcro for closures and plastic clips that can be attached together or to the wedges. We’ve tried metal cuffs in the past, but they’re quite uncomfortable if you’re laying on them.

Under-the-mattress restraints. Looks complicated, but it’s not. The cuffs can be tucked under the mattress when not in use. These are especially useful if you don’t have a headboard suitable for tying to.

Blindfold. If you want to improvise, use a neck tie or panties.

Gags can be similarly improvised, or you can buy one.

Sex swing. We have one that can be quickly hung in a door frame and be used for a ton of positions. It’s easier than it looks.

Spreader bar. Keeps those legs apart. Can be used in many positions, including standing, but isn’t great for missionary. I made ours with a wooden dowel and some eye screws.

Pull-up bar. These can be mounted in a door way and used as a restraint point for securing someone in a standing position. Also great for getting ripped.

Vibrator. There are many kinds, but we find the egg vibrator to be the most versatile. We buy cheap ones (around $7 from Amazon) and replace them once or twice a year when they wear out. We also keep rechargeable batteries charging in our bedroom. A wand vibrator can also be useful for longer duration games or when you need more reach.

(Let me point out that you don’t actually need any toys! This post is getting long enough, so I won’t go into detail, but look forward to a future post on mental-only bondage.)

Finally, what’s fun about bondage anyway?

Intimacy. Like I said at the beginning: the essence of bondage is vulnerability, and vulnerability is the key to intimacy. Bondage will teach you new things about your spouse’s mind and body. Bondage will let you explore new levels of sexual trust. Bondage exposes you to each other in amazing ways.

Passion. Let’s face it: there can be something hot about dominating your spouse or submitting to his or her will. Maybe your sex is normally gentle and loving, and bondage lets you get a little rougher and more physically intense.

Foreplay. Bondage requires time to execute, and all that time can be used as foreplay focused on the spouse being bound.

Orgasm delay. Also known as teasing or edging. When the submissive spouse is free to move she can position her body just the right way to reach orgasm, and bondage can take away that ability and give control to the dominant spouse. It can be extremely difficult for a person to willingly back off from an orgasm when it’s close, but when using bondage the dominant spouse can pull back and keep the submissive spouse right on the edge without going over. This can make the orgasm incredibly powerful when it eventually comes.

Multiple orgasms. After a woman orgasms her clitoris may become intensely sensitive, such that further stimulation is uncomfortable. If her hands and legs are free she may push the stimulation away for relief. However, if she is bound such that she can’t “protect” her clitoris her husband can continue with the stimulation and bring her to multiple orgasms. Sexy Corte describes these as an unending plateau of orgasm, rather than the peak and descent of the normal experience. They’re also quite exhausting, so this probably isn’t something you’ll do every day. As a husband, giving my wife multiple orgasms is one of my absolute favorite things.

Fantasy. Bondage can be used as an element of fantasy or role-playing. It feels naughty, and once you’re in the naughty mindset you can free yourself to try some things that you normally wouldn’t. He’s the villain and she’s the kidnapped princess? She’s the super-spy and he’s the captured rogue agent who knows where the bomb is hidden?

Exploration. Sometimes it’s hard to ask for our sexual desires, even when the marriage has good communication. Bondage can be an avenue for exploring desires that are difficult to speak out loud but perhaps easier to request non-verbally while in the moment. New experiences can break old habits, and you’re already feeling naughty, right?

Escapism. Maybe it’s a minor form of dissociation, but bondage be a form of escapism from everyday life into a secret world of sex with your spouse.

Novelty. Bondage introduces a myriad of new sexual options, new ways to play, new positions, new toys, and maybe even new desires.

In the end bondage should be fun and promote intimacy and vulnerability in your marriage. As always, enthusiasm and responsiveness will ensure that you get the most from your sexual experience.

Let us know what you think in the comments! What are you experiences? Do you have any suggestions to add?

Shower sex can be great for getting in a quickie while visiting the in-laws and jacuzzis are luxurious for love-making marathons, but the first time you try to have sex in the water you’re liable to notice something rather inconvenient: the water washes away the wife’s natural lubricant. Even though you’re both turned on and ready to go, underwater penetration can be challenging and uncomfortable. So you hop out of the water and grab your lube — problem solved? Maybe not. The most common sex lubes are water-based, which means they will quickly disperse in the water just like her natural juices.

What’s a horny couple to do? If you’re going to go to all the trouble to arrange a romantic aquatic interlude don’t forget one important ingredient: silicone lube! Sexy Corte and I have had great experiences with a brand called Gun Oil (easy to buy online), but there are numerous options available.

Silicone lube isn’t just for playing in the water — it has a few general advantages over water-based lube.

Lasts a long time. You can have sex forever without the lube drying up.

Less irritating. Silicone lube isn’t easily absorbed into the skin, so it tends to be less of an irritant to sensitive skin.

Very slick. For when you need as much slipperiness as possible.

There are a few disadvantages as well.

Destroys silicone toys. Do not use silicone lube with silicone sex toys. It will destroy them. Silicone is a very common material for sex toys, so be very careful not to combine them.

Hard to clean. I wouldn’t use it in bed; it’s hard to get off sheets.

Tastes bad. Not toxic (check your brand), but not great for oral sex.

Silicone lube: another toy for your sexual toy box. Tell us your experience and let us know if we missed an important use!

A couple of months ago we reviewed the We Vibe II vibrator and we were disappointed with it overall — too bad we didn’t get a We Vibe 4! The newest version comes with an app that lets you control the vibrator with a mobile device. How fun would that be? Well, Amanda Chatel did it and helpfully writes about her experience wearing the We Vibe around town while running errands with her husband in control of the vibrator.

Once it was quite clear that my husband could control the vibrator when I was on the first floor of my apartment building (we live on the 5th), I ventured outside to do, of all things, errands. With my vibrator clipped in place and a tight pair of yoga pants for even more support, I went to get my dry-cleaning. Just as I reached in my wallet to pay for it, my husband, from back in our apartment, turned on the vibrator. I immediately went into panic mode. Could they hear the faint buzzing? Was my crotch visibly vibrating? Could they notice that I was blushing?

As a means to quell my own paranoia, I immediately brushed off the vibrating sound as my phone, which I’m sure they couldn’t even hear, but you know, neuroses is a cross I have to bear, and I feverishly dug through my bag pretending to look for it. It was all very flamboyant and dramatic of me, and completely unnecessary, but then my husband turned off the vibrator, and I managed to gain some composure.

I think this is really hot, but rather than being back home I’d want to be right by my wife’s side. We don’t have a We Vibe 4, but we do have a short-range remote controlled vibrator that we could play with. It isn’t a regular part of our arsenal, so I’ll have to dust it off and make sure it works before our next date night.

Unfortunately for the We Vibe, it looks like Mrs. Chatel’s experience was similar to my wife’s:

As much as I enjoyed the wandering around doing my errands to keep things spicy and surprising, I knew the best place for me to really enjoy it would be if I went to a bar, sat down, and got a drink. I knew sitting, without the concern of the vibrator somehow wiggling it’s way out of my yoga pants, would allow for much more relaxing enjoyment … and it did. Oh, how it did. It wasn’t quite orgasm great, because I don’t think I could relax enough to climax in a public place, but it definitely felt good, and with my husband at the controls, the surprise factor was one of the best parts.

The vibration just isn’t strong enough to get her to climax. Perhaps Mrs. Chatel will give us some suggestions for using the toy more effectively in the future?

Sexy Corte was digging through the toy drawer last night and found some KY Warming Liquid that she put on my night stand. We hadn’t used it for a couple of years, and the brisk fall weather this afternoon encouraged us to give it another shot. I applied it to her ladybits during foreplay and rubbed her good while she used her mouth on me, and a great time was had by all. However, the warming liquid was underwhelming.

First off, does it “warm”? Well, it warmed my hand up a little, but Sexy Corte said that she couldn’t really feel any warming on her… surprising, right? Her lips should be more sensitive than my fingers. Even after penetration it didn’t seem to do anything for her warmth-wise.

Second, it’s pretty thin as a lubricant. While I was fingering her the warming liquid was certainly better than nothing, but it wasn’t as slick as a water-based lube and I had to apply more several times. It’s not like we needed a heavy duty lube, but because of the larger quantity it was messier than lube and less effective.

Sexy Corte and I recently purchased a We-Vibe II. SC has an easier time climaxing with a vibrator, and we thought that the We-Vibe would give us some positional options that our trusty egg vibrator doesn’t allow.

The way you use the We-Vibe is pretty simple: the narrow arm (on the bottom in the picture above) is inserted into the vagina and the larger arm nestles over the clitoris. The U-shape is springy enough to hold it in place, and the device is completely sealed so you can lube the whole thing up. The battery is sealed inside and charges by induction from the included charger. This means that it takes 16+ hours to charge fully, but there’s no port on the outside that could get gummed up or let liquid inside.

We were pretty excited to try the We-Vibe II when it arrived, but we had to wait a day while it charged. Bummer! The next evening we were especially horny and we leaped into bed. The device itself is easy to apply to the woman — just slip it in and position the outer arm in the right place. Unfortunately we ran into two problems that ruined the experience for us.

First and foremost, the vibration just didn’t do it for Sexy Corte. It was pretty weak and she said that it didn’t hit the right spot. We moved it around and played with it extensively, but even when I used my hands to manipulate the vibrator she said that it just wasn’t going to get her to orgasm.

Second, it was uncomfortable for me during penetration. We used a lot of lube, but the vibrator itself rubbed me the wrong way while entering and thrusting. It felt pretty much like you’d expect: like rubbing the slippery tube of a magic marker across my erection. Distracting and unsexy.

So despite really wanting to like it, neither of us got much pleasure from the We-Vibe II. We’re going to stick with our egg vibrator.

When we got married I surprised Sexy Corte with a set of Liberator wedge pillows (which were, at the time, on sale at Amazon). I think she was skeptical at first, but in the years since we’ve gotten a lot of use out of them. If I could introduce any couple to one new toy, it would be these pillows. (Assuming they already have an egg vibrator. Hopefully SC will post about those soon.)

The primary use of the wedges is for positioning. They’re firm and have a velvety texture so they grip against your bed and each other, which means you can set them up in limitless configurations to position your bodies at all sorts of different heights and angles. (The pillows came with a booklet of suggested positions; you can find it on the site above, but it has nudity so I’m not linking it.) They’re great for laying on, bending over, leaning on, or sitting against. We’ve even turned the big one on it’s side and used it to support SC’s legs so they don’t flail in the air when she’s laying on the edge of the bed.

You’ll notice that we bought the “black label” edition of the wedges which come with handy attach points for clip-on cuffs. We don’t use the cuffs as often as the pillows themselves, but occasionally I have a blast cuffing SC down and teasing her for a while. Not to brag, but our record is seven orgasms for her in 45 minutes. So, husbands, if you want to give your wife a ton of orgasms till she almost passes out and begs you to stop you might want to check these out. (I should get a commission.)